Curse of Strahd

Dark Rituals

After several more fights with undead creatures, the Blades regrouped to one of the upper rooms to regain their strength.

Following the sound of the chanting (“He is the Ancient. He is the Land.”) took them to a sublevel under the crypts. Here, they found a reliquary of sorts, with a variety of odd trinkets in displays around the walls. Beyond the reliquary, the found a prison and a fane that had been partially submerged under water. Though a portcullis blocked the way to the fane, they were able find a secret door from the prison area.

The fane was filled with knee-deep water, save for the raised walkway along the edges of the room and a dais in the middle. One side of the room, opposite the entry portcullis, a cleft hollow held a pile of water-soaked, decaying debris. As soon as Ryota stepped into the room, the chanting fell silent The rest of the group followed her into the room, with Karina, Ryko, and Fox guarding from the walkway while Ryota and Dorn checked the room.

When Ryota stepped onto the dais, dark apparitions appeared along the room’s ledges. These robed figures did not attack any of the adventurers, instead beginning a new chant of, “One must die! One must die! One must die!” The indication was clear that they were demanding a sacrifice from the group.

Ryota refused, stepping from the dais. As she did so, the chanting changed, again, to “”/wikis/Lorghoth%20the%20Decayer/new" class=“create-wiki-page-link”>Lorghoth the Decayer, we awaken thee!" several times. The pile of decaying matter rose up to a massive, marginally humanoid shape and emerged from its lair to new chants of, “The end comes! Death, be praised!”

Though they had planned to retreat to the prison area in the hopes that the narrow space would be to their advantage, Lorghoth was able to engulf Ryota, prompting a full assault. Eventually, they defeated the monstrosity, at which point the cultists vanished, taking their chanting with them.

A healing potion and some magic saw Ryota back on her feet and ready to leave this house of death. When they reached the living area, though, they discovered that the house, itself, had turned actively against them. The entire edifice showed the weight of centuries, with rotting walls, thick dust, crumbling furniture, and crawling with vermin. Though the interior walls were wrecked to the point of being able to see through, the crumbling plaster of the outer walls showed brickwork that would rival a castle for strength and, where the doors had been were now openings filled with whirling blades.

After breaking through many of the house’s walls and covered with dirty claw and bite marks from the rats, the Blades emerged into the street and the dim, but clear light of day.